Battle Box

The Battle Box is a popular name of the underground command centre constructed under Fort Canning, Singapore as an emergency, bomb-proof command centre during the Malayan campaign and the Battle of Singapore. The decision to surrender Singapore was taken in this bunker on the morning of February 15, 1942, four days after Lt. Gen. Percival's Combined Operations Headquarters (COH) was moved here from Sime Road during the Battle of Kranji. It was later occupied by Japanese forces during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. After the wall, the Battle Box was sealed off and its exact location forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1988, and converted into a tourist attraction.

For a price of S$5 for children and S$8 for adults, visitors can attend a guided tour of the location. The tickets are designed to look like security passes issued during the Second World War.

The tour begins with the screening of a historical filmstrip-style video about the events leading up to the Japanese invasion of Singapore, held in the ticketing office pictured above. From there, visitors are led by the tour guide to the actual bunker located about a hundred metres away from the ticketing office. A wax figure of a British soldier, one of many in the bunker, points the way.

The underground bunker has been refurbished with an air-conditioning system installed, though with the historical value still greatly preserved. Besides a tour guide, the tour is also facilitated by an audio tour program. Wireless headsets are issued to the participants. The headsets can be set to seven different languages.

The participants are lead to the switchboard room, which was the communications centre during the time. Notes scrawled in chalk are still faintly visible on the bunker door. Participants are then treated to an audio presentation through their headsets, with a synchronised animatronics display (the animatronic switchboard operator plugs and unplugs switches).

Next on the tour are the rooms where the other communications methods such as morse code and telegram are used. Through individual viewing posts, participants watch a short video presentation showing the operators hard at work, accompanied by another audio track.

Next, actual Japanese script written by the soldiers, with translation texts pasted above, are displayed.

After that, participants visit General Percival's actual office. A meeting between him and Simmons is in progress. The impending surrender is the topic. The two are actually animatronic figures whose mouth movements are synchronised with the audio tour segment.

A planning room with a simulated military strategy table and maps pasted on the walls follows. This was where the British would plan sea and air operations around the Asia-Pacific area. Wall charts depict developments in other parts of the world at that time.

The last room is the bunker where the final decision to surrender unconditionally to the Japanese was made. The crucial final command conference is portrayed as accurately as possible. Wax figures of Percival, and all the major officials with him at the time, are combined with a video presentation projected behind Percival's wax figure.

The tour ends, and participants are free to explore the small museum and the gift shop at the end of the underground bunker.

It had a guided tour, so we assembled at this place to wait for the tour guide to bring us to the entrance of the battle box.


The entrance of the Battle Box.

Johore Battery

You all can see how big the guns were. This is how big the guns were in that time. During the Japanese Invasion, the guns were used in fact. It is inaccurate to say that they remained silent. Maybe they were ineffective but they were used during the war. The Japanese were just better strategists and tacticians :(

The picture above is Samuel lifting the 800Kg missile. Don't be fooled, he ain't so strong. Levers were made use of during the war in the British camp, soldiers had to do this everytime to get the ammunition in.
Me, looking r-tarded.


See, 800Kg!

What's under there? Scroll down to find out!
We had no means of finding out what the white things were. O.o





The following are pictures of what the secret tunnel looked like during the time.









The guns
During routine cleaning at its Abingdon Centre in April 1991, the Prisons Department made a most astonishing and remarkable discovery. At the site was a labyrinth of underground tunnels. Work by the Ministry of Defence revealed that the tunnels led to a concrete bunker some three storeys down. After further research into historic records, it was ascertained that this gun battery was the Johore Battery. In the 12 February 1992 issue of the Straits Times, Dr Ong Chit Chung, then Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and a military historian himself, hailed the discovery as "the most significant discovery in Singapore's war history in recent years". From http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/maturing_saf/v08n04_history.html

The British knew that Japan was expanding its naval rapidly and at that time, they assumed that any possible attack on Singapore would come from the sea, as such, these guns were put in place to guard Singapore. The locals thought it the "impregnable fortress". This was one of the follies of the British, she underestimated her opponent. The Japanese came from the North on bicycles!

These guns were also known as Monster Guns because they were very big. The ammunition which was 800Kg was hard enough to pierce through extremely hard metal. Some three storeys below the gun emplacement is a labyrinth of tunnels that was used to store ammunition to support the three monster guns. The lights were spoilt and so we did not dare go down. Besides, it was raining and we did not bring a torch of our own. "Before the British surrendered, orders were sent out to destroy the guns to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The tunnels were sealed up after the war."
From: http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/maturing_saf/v08n04_history.html


Note: The Sultan of Johore donated 500,000 in support of Britain's war campaign.
Tourists are encouraged to view this informational side as there is no entry fee.

Selarang Barracks

Civilian War Memorial

The Civilian War Memorial was built to remember the civilians killed by the Japanese during the occupation. Amongst the many infamous incidents that took place during the Japanese Occupation was the Sook Ching or Screening Operation. In an effort to remove anti-Japanese elements in Singapore, Chinese men between the ages of 18 - 50 years of age were told to report to the Kempeitai (Japanese Military Police) inspection areas. Those who passed the screening were given an Examined stamp whilst the less fortunate ones were stamped with triangular marks and taken away. Some ended up in prison while others were killed. The latter lot was either thrown overboard off Blakang Mati (now Sentosa) or herded into the seas off Changi and Siglap and machine-gunned to death.

It is believed that between 5,000-50,000 Chinese were massacred by the Japanese.

In Feb 1962, a large number of remains belonging to civilian victims of the Japanese Occupation were unearthed in areas like Siglap, Changi and Bukit Timah. The need grew to gather these remains from all over the island and to find a place to bury them as a token of remembrance. The government then proposed to built a memorial.

The architectural firm of Swan and Maclaren won the open competition held for the design of the Memorial. In the initial design, there was an underground vault for the cremated remains. However, this was abandoned because the original proposal, which was to cremate the remains, was changed to re-burial. This was done in respect of those who objected on religious grounds to cremating the remains. Subsequently, approval was given to bury the remains by the side of the Memorial. Swan and Maclaren then submitted a new design.Costing an estimated $500,000, one of the characteristics of the Memorial is its height of 61 metres and its four columns. The columns represent the four races joined together at the base - signifying the unity of all races.

On 23 Apr 66, construction of the Memorial began.

The construction work was completed in Jan 67.

On 15 Feb 67, the Memorial was officially unveiled by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who laid a wreath on behalf of the Government and the people of Singapore. Religious rites were conducted by officials of the Inter-Religious Organisation and a three-minute silence was observed in honour of the dead. Those present included the victims’ families, members of the diplomatic corps (including the Japanese Ambassador), religious chiefs and representatives from the four races.On 15 Feb each year, memorial services (opened to the public) are held at the Memorial - a solemn reminder to all that it is far better to die in battle than to expose unarmed civilians to the sword of an oppressor.This Memorial is a grim reminder to Singapore of what can happen to a conquered people. Total Defence becomes meaningful to Singaporeans.

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/singapore/world_war_2_military_site/180/civilian_war_memorial_war_memorial_park.phphttp://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/birth_of_saf/v05n04_history.html

Changi Chapel and Musuem

Serene, tranquil, may be how you will describe The Changi Museum. Relocated to its new home on 15 February 2001 and officially opened by then our Trade and Industry Minister BG George Yeo, the Changi Museum is dedicated to honouring POWs of WWII. Why, it was here, in Changi Prison then the site of the World War II POW camp where many Allied detainees from the World War II became prisoners and were subjected to cruel and horrific conditions at the hands of the invading Japanese forces. The museum pays tribute to victims of the Japanese Occupation with a painstaking collection of wartime memorabilia and well-detailed documentation of the life of a POW in searing clarity. And that’s why the whole place is so quiet, because of the respect the visitors have for the deaths of brave soldiers who fought in the war. The museum is made out of 5 zones as shown here

Zone 1: Storyboard
Further down the Museum will be the storyboard displays. There are also showcases containing tools, materials and personal belongings of POWs and other artefacts related or used during World War II. The items displayed in the showcases are donated from organizations, POWs and their families, as well as other visitors
The storyboards will tell the visitors what happened during the war. It also showcases quotes from POWs, locals and war veterans. These quotes tell us about their experiences in war and what life was like during the war.
Zone 2: Changi Prison
This section on covers life in Changi Prison before, during and after the Second World War. It helps visitors understand the restrained prison life especially during the Second World War where 4 prisoners were squeezed into each cell of the Changi Gaol (before it was renamed to Changi Prison)　
A floor plan of an actual Changi cell in the Gaol is mapped on the floor in front of the glass exhibits that explains life in Changi Gaol during the Second World War.

This segment also displays a block of the original Changi Prison wall, Changi Prison cell door (as shown on the left) and barb wire which was acquired by the museum when the prison was torn down in 2005.
Lastly, visitors can view a replica of one of the surviving Changi Quilts.
Several women who were interned in Changi prison during the Occupation, were given six inch squares of rice sack cloth. Each embroided her name, indicating her survival and well being. Under the pretext of a gift, the quilts were handed over to the civilian men for the POW hospital. Knowledge of the women's well being boosted the men's morale.

Zone 3: Mural

The museum has replicated what is known as the Changi Murals.
The Changi Murals were drawn by Bombardier Stanley Warren, who was incarcerated by the Japanese. Stanley Warren began painting the murals as his appreciation to God for keeping him alive. Stanley Warren improvised by using camouflage paint, crushed snooker chalk and aircraft paints to paint Bible scenes. Many of the tools prisoners like Stanley Warren used were smuggled in by fellow Prisoners of War. These were painted in a small room at Block 151 Roberts Barracks, also known as St. Luke's Chapel, which was located just beneath the dysentery ward where Stanley Warren was recovering The murals were completed in May 1943 and in total, Stanley produced five murals on the walls of the Chapel. The murals were rediscovered in 1958 and a search for Stanley Warren was undertaken successfully. With the help of local authorities, Stanley returned to Singapore on a number of occasions to restore the murals


Zone 4: Wartime Artists

During the war, many prisoners and civilian internees alike, recorded their experiences through drawings and paintings. The museum displays several paintings and drawings that depict life during WWII. There are also artefacts that cell inmates innovated and mainly recognises the ingenuity of many of the POWs and civilian internees who were incarcerated in Changi during the Second World War. Their ingenuity was not only shown through art but also making of useful items like ashtrays, made from simple materials, which are on display here

Zone 5: End of War
Museum has included a new section called "End of War" read up the timeline of events that led up to the war. Also in this section, the museum has displayed an original 15th Century Samurai sword that was surrendered by a Japanese General.
This zone includes one more section called "We Remember" where inspiring stories of bravery, sacrifice, perseverance and camaraderie, are on display for visitors to read and learn about. These stories include stories of many war personalities like Elizabeth Choy and secret missions like Operation Jaywick and Rimau.
The Museum included an small area called the "Kokonut Grove".
Entertainment during the war was limited but the prisoners of war managed to set up a place inside the Changi Gaol where they would hold their performances. One of the performing theatres was named Kokonut Grove.
In the Museum, a stage-like backdrop was done up to imitate the Kokonut Grove. In place of live performances, is a television screen which plays selected videos related to the Second World War. These videos can be viewed for free by our visitors.
Surroundings
The Changi Cell is located at the side of the Changi Museum. Once entered, visitors can listen to an audio recording on how the locals suffered in the hands of the Japanese during the Japanese Occupation. It also gives visitors an idea of the atmosphere of a prison cell for those incarcerated during the Second World War
This plaque of the Changi area was commissioned by the Australian Government
The Changi Tree, also known as the Chengai Tree is also planted in the Museum's grounds (second picture). The original Changi tree was the tallest tree in Singapore and could be clearly see from afar. From the 1938 photograph, its significantly different height can be seen by observing the height of the trees surrounding the Changi tree. The Changi Tree at that time was taller than a 20-storey building. Unfortunately, the Changi Tree was blown up by the British (before the attack of Singapore) to prevent its use as a military marker by the Japanese. This magnificent tree also gave the area of Changi its name
In-House / Audio
Visitors can take a 45-minute guided In-House tours (in English) around the site. Regular rate: S$8.00 per adult and S$4.00 per child
For more details and enquiries on bookings, please contact us at (65) 6 214 2451 (changi_museum@pacific.net.sg) or at (65) 6 325 1631 (discover@journeys.com.sg).


Changi Chapel

Now, the the Changi Prison Chapel that stands opposite Changi Gaol is a replica of the Chapel built by the prisoners of war who were held in Changi Gaol during the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945. Changi Prison Chapel is a symbol of man's faith in God under extreme deprivation. Numerous prisoners of war worshipped regularly in this Chapel. Several other Chapels were built but most were destroyed by the Japanese. Many of the Changi Chapels adornments like the Brass Cross are poignant remainders of a horrific war. The Brass Cross is made of spent ammunition casings, from the valiant World War II soldiers' guns. The Chapel has also created the board of remembrance

and many relatives of fallen soldiers' have pinned messages for the dead.the spirit and commitment of those who rose from the depths of adversity.
Through documentation of significant events of the Japanese Occupation, the Museum also serves as an important educational institution and resource centre. As for the Prisoners-of-War (POWs) and their families, it is a site that allows for closure of the many emotional scars inflicted by the war years.The Museum tells of the POWs faith and belief in God and country, that kept these men alive through all the horrors that War, entails. Strong Men that have survived through the World War II strife's have made it through forgiving their keepers, but never forgetting the pain and struggle the Prisoners of War had to endure.

http://www.singaporetaxitour.com/changi_chapel.html

http://lifestylewiki.com/Changi_Prison_Museum_&_Chapel